Wednesday, January 12, 2011

‘Dead’ woman comes alive during funeral

A woman who was pronounced dead by doctors came alive during her funeral procession – two days later.

She reportedly stirred and stood up while family members were burning firecrackers in accordance with local custom in the small Indian village of Vepachettu in Allipuram, about 50km from Hyderabad, Tamil Nesan reported.

On Wednesday, Pinnitla Varalakshmi had been admitted to the King George’s Hospital after she collapsed at her house while attending to her daily chores.

Doctors pronounced her dead on arrival and issued a death certificate.

While her “body” was being carried in a funeral procession on Friday, mourners saw her waking up, sending shivers down their spine. A relative, Nageswara Rao, said ambulance staff noticed her pulse and took her to a private hospital.

She was later pronounced dead again.

> A poor farm labourer from a remote village in Cuddalore, a district in Tamil Nadu, handed over her baby to a home run by a Christian missionary in Puducherry after her husband died in 1968.

The two-year-old baby was baptised, christened Jasmine and given to a childless Belgian couple for adoption.

More than 40 years later on Saturday, Jasmine had a tearful reunion with her mother at the missionary’s branch in Karaikal, Makkal Osai reported.

Jasmine, married with two children, flew from Belgium to India about 15 days ago with her husband and visited the home run by the missionary.